The Divine Auditor : Settling the Ledger of Souls

Chapter 4 – The Book of Debts

The warmth did not stop at Elias's fingertips, It spread slowly, Up his wrist.

Along his arm Across his shoulder Until it filled his entire body with a strange sense of warmth, Not the kind that burned. The kind that quietly dissolved the exhaustion, anger, and despair that had settled inside him for far too long.

Elias instinctively drew a breath, But it caught in his throat Beneath his palm He felt something, 

Thump 

He froze A few seconds later, it came again.

Thump...

Like a heartbeat, His eyes dropped to the ancient book beneath his hand, Impossible, Books did not have hearts.

“That isn't a heartbeat.” The Keeper's calm voice broke the silence “It is the pulse of the Book.”

The moment those words left his lips The entire library trembled, Not violently. Not enough to shake the building apart. Only a subtle vibration that flowed through every bookshelf, every table, every page preserved for centuries, Then, 

Frrrsshhh...

Thousands of books opened at once, Pages turned together, filling the vast chamber with whispers. It sounded as though thousands of voices were speaking in a language the world had forgotten.

Yet strangely The sound wasn't unsettling, It felt welcoming. As though the entire library had been waiting to witness the birth of something long foretold. Elias looked back at the book before him.The cracks across its leather cover slowly disappeared.

Not repaired, Not restored It was as though time itself had begun moving backward. The worn leather transformed into flawless black, polished like obsidian.

Golden engravings emerged from every corner, flowing like living streams of light.

The glowing lines met at the center of the cover, Forming a symbol Elias had never seen before. Then Four words appeared.

THE BOOK OF DEBTS

For the first time since entering the library Elias found himself speechless. Only moments earlier, the book had seemed fragile. Now it radiated an overwhelming authority that stole the air from his lungs.

He no longer felt as though he was looking at an object. He was standing before something far older than history itself.

Something that had watched countless generations rise and disappear. Across from him, The Keeper slowly lowered his head, Not to Elias But to the Book.

“Welcome back...”

“…Book of Debts.”

Elias turned sharply “Back?”

The Keeper offered no explanation, His eyes remained fixed upon the Book with unmistakable reverence. At that moment The first page turned by itself, Blank. An ivory colored sheet untouched by ink.

Seconds later, black letters began appearing without a hand to write them. Before Elias could read a single word A warm golden light flowed from the page.

It wasn't blinding, It was comforting. The light slowly entered Elias through the palm resting on the Book. Reflexively, he closed his eyes, Darkness surrounded him. Then came the visions. A child crying as his home was taken away, An old man signing documents with trembling hands, A woman embracing a faded family photograph while holding back tears, Then His father Standing with his back turned, Saying nothing, Only smiling The visions vanished.

Elias opened his eyes with ragged breaths, His chest tightened Not from sorrow, But from realization Until now He had only seen the world through the eyes of those who suffered loss. The Book Saw everything Victims, Perpetrators, Truth, And the debts that bound them together. The once empty page slowly filled with writing.

Name: Elias Pratama

Another line appeared.

Rights Taken: Confirmed

Then another.

Auditor Qualification: Accepted

Before Elias could react The warmth surged through him once more Stronger, Deeper He closed his eyes again. When he opened them, His gaze drifted toward the tall mirror standing in the corner of the library, He stood perfectly still. The man reflected inside it Was still him The same face, the same clothes, Nothing had changed, Yet...

There was something he barely recognized, The shoulders that had always seemed burdened now stood straight, His eyes had become calm Deep. Sharp enough to pierce through lies He wasn't doing anything, Simply standing there. Yet his presence seemed to fill the room itself. Even the air around him felt different.

“I...” His own voice sounded unfamiliar “I'm different.”

“Yes.” The Keeper finally lifted his head.

“Because what died tonight...”

“…wasn't your body.”

Elias looked at him.

“It was your doubt.”

Silence settled over the library once again, The Keeper walked toward him.

“The Book of Debts never chooses the strongest.”

“It chooses someone...”

“…and makes them worthy of carrying its burden.”

Elias looked at his reflection again, For the first time since his father's death He no longer saw a defeated man, He saw someone capable of making others lower their eyes.

---

The silence lingered, Elias slowly raised his right hand. The reflection mirrored the movement perfectly, Nothing had changed.

His face remained the same, His rain-soaked white shirt was still wrinkled from the day's events.His hair remained untidy, Yet...

The man in the mirror no longer looked like someone who had lost everything, His gaze was calm Not the calm of surrender.

The calm of someone who finally knew where to walk next.

“Elias.” The Keeper spoke softly “What do you see?”

Elias didn't answer immediately “The mirror still shows my face.”“But...”He exhaled quietly.

“…it feels like I'm looking at someone else.”

The Keeper nodded.

“People often believe change begins with the face.”

“When in truth...”

“…it always begins with the way someone sees himself.”

The words were simple, Yet they compelled Elias to study his reflection once more, His body hadn't changed, only the way he stood. The way he breathed, even the way he looked at the world. Without realizing it, his shoulders straightened again, as though the weight forcing him to bow had finally been lifted.

The Keeper watched with quiet satisfaction.

“From tonight onward...”

“…no one will see you as a defeated man.”

“But remember.”

“Never mistake that for being above anyone else.”

“An Auditor is respected not because of his power...”

“…but because he never abuses it.”

Elias nodded silently, He committed those words to memory. At that instant The pages of The Book of Debts began turning once again, more slowly this time. One page after another, As though the Book were searching, Eventually It stopped. Elias looked down, There were no names, No numbers, Only a symbol resembling perfectly balanced scales. It slowly glowed with golden light.

Suddenly A sharp pain struck his head, He instinctively closed his eyes, Another vision appeared, An elderly man, Standing alone before a grave, His face was filled with unbearable regret, The vision disappeared, Elias opened his eyes, breathing heavily.

“What...”

“…was that?”

The Keeper looked entirely unsurprised “A Debt Trace.”

“A trace?”

“Every human being leaves one.”

“Not footprints.”

“Not thoughts.”

“But the traces of every right they have taken...”

“…or stolen.”

Elias pressed his fingers against his temple “So I can read people's minds?”

“No.” The Keeper's answer came immediately “If you could read minds...”

“…you would become a judge.”

“And you are not.”

He stepped closer.“The Book of Debts reveals only fragments of truth.”

“No more.”

“No less.”

“Those fragments help you begin an audit.”

“But...”

“…you must still uncover the evidence with your own hands.”

Slowly Elias understood, The Book would never do his work for him, It merely pointed toward the truth, Everything else Belonged to the Auditor. The Keeper smiled faintly.

“That is why you were chosen.”

“Not to depend on the Book.”

“But to work alongside it.”

The pages turned again, Fresh words appeared, Duties of an Auditor

Find the rights that have been taken, Prove the truth. Restore them to their rightful owner. The words faded, A new sentence emerged. Every successful audit earns a Commission F*e, Elias looked up.

“The commission...”

“How do I receive it?”

“Legally.”

The Keeper answered without hesitation.

“The Book of Debts creates no money.”

“It merely opens the path for what is already rightfully yours.”

“For example?”

“If your audit uncovers hidden assets...”

“…or restores wealth that was stolen...”

“…the portion that legally and morally belongs to the Auditor will reach you.”

“Clean.”

“Recorded.”

“Fully accountable.”

Elias fell silent, So this wasn't magic It was work, And work deserved to be paid. For the first time in days His mother's face appeared in his mind, The hospital bills, The medicine, The operation she desperately needed, Perhaps This was hope.

The Keeper quietly observed the change in Elias's expression.

“Are you ready to receive your first audit?”

Elias nodded firmly “Yes.”

The Keeper turned the next page, Elias's eyes immediately hardened, Only one name occupied his thoughts.

Rafael Pratama

The man who had stolen his father's company, Destroyed his family's future. Taken everything from him, If anyone deserved to be audited first It was Herman. Black ink slowly spread across the page, One letter appeared Then another. Elias's heartbeat accelerated, But the name that emerged made him frown.

DANIEL SURYANATA

“No...” Elias whispered “Not Rafael.”

The Keeper gently closed the Book “No.”

“Why?” Elias's voice sharpened.

“He deserves it more than anyone.”

“He destroyed my life.”

The Keeper did not disagree “He did.”

“But...”

He stepped forward until only a single pace separated them “Your greatest enemy...”

“…is not meant to be your first lesson.”

Elias remained silent, The Keeper looked directly into his eyes “He is your destination.”

The words lingered in the stillness, Beneath Elias's palm, The Book of Debts pulsed once again.

Thump...

Thump...

As though reminding him That from this night onward, His life would no longer follow his own desires, It would follow every debt waiting to be collected.